Political Science Division

I.Current Research Concentrations

Despite recent reorganization of the political science division, it continues to pursue the same research goals as before. Yet, the division also intends to develop political theories pertinent to Taiwan's unique characteristics. The following represents a list of the political science division's research areas, as well as research projects that are currently in progress.

(1) Research Areas:

  1. Western Political Philosophy
    1. Perceptions of Power, Real Interests, and Incommeasurability
    2. Multiculturalism and Universal Human Rights: reanalyzing universal human rights
    3. Political Identity Theory
    4. Politics and the Good Life: deliberating the principle of neutrality in liberalism
    5. Traditional and Political Social Groups: Burke vs. MacIntyre
    6. The Theories of Mill and German Idealism
    7. Rawls and Social Contract Theory
    8. Rawls' Theory on the Freedom of Speech and the Limits of Governmental Power
    9. Ethnic Identity, Cultural Ownership, and Political Identity: using modern Western communitarianism to evaluate the issue of a Taiwanese social identity
    10. 10.Multiculturalism: a political philosophy analysis

  2. Political Democratization and Empirical Studies in Politics
    1. A Study on the Political Leanings and Voting Behavior of Taiwanese Voters
    2. Political Party Competition and the Consolidation of Democracy in Taiwan
    3. Military and Political Democratization
    4. Military and Governmental Relations in Post-martial Law Taiwan
    5. A Special Report on the Third Legislative Yuan Elections
    6. Patterns between International Relations, Social Networks, and Voter Tendencies
    7. A Special Report on the First Direct Presidential Elections: strategies, campaign process, and other influences on democratic transformations

  3. Public Administration and Organizational Theory
    1. Administrative Management Ecology in Taiwan
    2. Organizational and Ethical Bureaucratic Controls
    3. Characteristics of a Traditional Chinese Bureaucracy
    4. Traditional Chinese Administrative Philosophy

(2) Current research projects

Peng Wen-Shien Time and Organization
Kuo Chiu-Yeoung Significant Transformations in the Value of Neutrality: political pluralism from Behavioralism to Post-Behavioralism
Shyu Huo-Yan Consolidating and Forwarding Democracy in Taiwan: an international comparative analysis
Cheng Hsiao-ShihThe Rise and Fall of Taiwan's Conscription System
Chang Fu-Kien The Self-Education of J.S. Mill
Tsai Ying-Wen The Enlightenment and Modern Politics
Shaw, Carl K.Y. An Interpretation of Machiavellian Thought and a Study on the History of Political Thought
So Run-New Democratic Politics and Individualism
Liu Yih-Jiun A Special Report on the Third Legislative Yuan Elections
Direct Legislation
Chen Hsiu-Jong A Preliminary Analysis of Universal Human Rights: an evaluative analysis of J. Donnelly's related theories
Lin Jih-Wen The Electoral System and Electoral Redistricting
Tang Cheng-Yeh The Thoughts of Sun Yat-Sen and Chinese Culture
A Comparative Study of the Political Thoughts of Sun Yat-Sen and Liang Chi-Chau

II.Future Research Focus

Given the respective research projects and abilities of the political science division's research fellows, attempts have been made to capitalize upon each researcher's talents. In light of the division's mission statement, actual academic research, and research accomplishments-and aside from contributing academic research to the Institute of Social Sciences and Philosophy-the division regards itself as playing the role of helmsman in promoting further research in this area. In addition, the division simultaneously hopes to establish a solid foundation for joint research between various academic disciplines.

(1)Short-term Research Focus, Directions and Areas of Study

Prior to matching research fellows' academic abilities with the division's resources, the division was still largely focused on concrete administrative duties. In encouraging collaboration among researchers in areas that have already established projects, the division has tried to match research fellow's skills to issues regarding Taiwan's political transformation process that lack in-depth study, as well as select topics that the political science division is best equipped to address. This has resulted in an approach that equally emphasizes "division of labor and collaboration" while also implementing large-scale research projects. The division's research plan specifically revolves around the topic of "democracy" and hopes to forward further projects by emphasizing both individual and collaborative studies. The topic not only utilizes the approaches of political philosophy, empirical studies in politics, and behaviorism, but also analyzes military and governmental relationships. Moreover, this area of study likewise addresses organizational planning and adjustments to changes within the political environment. The following topics represent individual and collaborative research projects that focus upon "democracy theory research":

  1. Political participation and democratic theory
  2. Civil republicanism and democratic theory
  3. Human rights and democracy
  4. Representation and democratic theory
  5. The rule of the majority and democracy
  6. Freedom, equality, and democracy
  7. Capitalism, civil society, and democracy
  8. The psychological foundation of democracy in Taiwan
  9. The military and democracy in Taiwan
  10. Bureaucratic organizations and democracy

Generally speaking, the political science division has at present achieved its primary functions and goals. Whether in terms of research focus or allocating the strengths of research fellows, the division has attempted to utilize both in the most effective possible manner. While political science includes the aforementioned fields and its also encompasses several subcategories as well--such as political philosophy, political science methodologies, comparative politics, empirical political theory, political economy, political sociology, political psychology, and administration. Moreover, these areas also address issues such as international law, international politics, as well as area studies. From a long-term point of view, the political science division has gradually become regarded as a leader in research on domestic political issues, such that its activities have significant influence on the political arena. It is anticipated that the division will strengthen and broaden its sphere of research topics, as well as more effectively forward research on Taiwan's political arena. If political science can grow in the same manner as Taiwan's economic development, then Taiwan can match the quality of scholarly research and intellectual development of developed countries. By stimulating and encouraging collaborative research with other academic areas, the political science division hopes to broaden its research horizons.

(2)Long-term Research Focus, Directions and Areas of Study

By extending the findings of short-term research projects, the division intends to further studies on Western political philosophy theory within its long-term research goals. Moreover, there are plans to conduct in-depth research on the consolidation of Taiwan's democracy as well as evaluate its effects. Topics the division intends to promote in order to develop the field of contemporary politics include administrative management ecology, market economics, issues on the effectiveness of the defense industry, as well as rational choice as related to political science and economics. Specifically, the division's long-term goals include the following:

  1. Study of Western political philosophy and its related areas, including democracy, majority politics, republicanism, human rights, individualism, and the concept of justice
  2. The consolidation of Taiwan's democracy and an assessment of its effects
  3. A study on the development of contemporary politics and its related issues, including administrative management, market economics, the effectiveness of the defense industry.
  4. An analysis of rational choice from a political economy perspective

III.Past Research Accomplishments

1.Western Political Philosophy

The study of Western political philosophy has commonly been the mainstay of Western political philosophers. However, the British and American political science worlds experienced a dramatic change during the 20th century. For all intents and purposes, the study of political philosophy by British and American political scientists at the beginning of the 20th century could be described as waning, such that by the 1950s it was practically obsolete. At this time, the field of political science became divided into various subdisciplines, including "behaviorism". Although behaviorialists often exchanged their different viewpoints between themselves, and even forwarded them outside their own circles, their ideas were largely ignored, however, in political philosophy discussions. As a result, the basic topics of freedom, equality, and justice were largely relegated to outside the realm of political philosophy, which subsequently became a primary tenet of the subfield. It was not until the 1970s, when "post-behavioralism" rose in prominence, that the legitimacy of the perspective not only become doubted, but also underwent serious reconsideration by a number of political philosophers. Moreover, the concept gradually experienced a revival to the point of even achieving significant stature. In light of the history and development of intellectual thought, it is apparent that within Western political philosophy, there are a number of important issues worth reexamining that carry realistic, far-ranging consequences. Given the intuitive nature of the field and the development of Western political philosophy, the political science division will attempt to use historical thought as its "longitudinal" compass and thinkers as its "latitudinal" guide. Moreover, the division hopes to address important concepts and related issues with the goal of inspiring an array of comparative analyses. Overall, past research projects the division has conducted in Western political philosophy include the following:

  1. A study on Socrates' paradox
  2. Plato's theory of justice
  3. Aristotle's theory of justice
  4. A study on Locke's political thoughts
  5. The moral basis of political obligation
  6. An analysis of Rawls' theory of justice
  7. Macpherson's theories on wealth, markets, and justice
  8. Reconstructing democracy: an analysis of Macpherson's theory of politics
  9. Social justice and democracy
  10. Political wealth
  11. Market economy and political theory
  12. The theory and practice of economic democracy
  13. Marketers and moralists within political theories
  14. Democratic elitism
  15. An analysis on "the concept of essential incomparability"
  16. Examining universal human rights
  17. A study on Machiavellian political thought
  18. Patriotism and liberal communitariansim
  19. Continuity and change: an analytical study on Edmund Burke's political thoughts
  20. The justice of Thrasymachus

2.Political Democratization and Empirical Political Theory

Within several decades of the United States' declaration of independence, most political thinkers praised the virtues of political democracy. Although criticism towards democratic theory had slowly gained momentum by the end of the 19th century, a large number of political thinkers believed that the promotion of democracy would eventually sweep aside all social suffering. After World War I, colonial empires collapsed and newly formed constitutional governments arose one after another. Simultaneously, dictatorships sprouted like "bamboo shoots after a spring rain". During World War II, originally self-proclaimed democracies counterattacked these rising dictatorships; however, following the war, communism came to power and it was not until the 1980s that their stronghold began to waver. In this period of time, political democratization's theoretical basis evolved with each subsequent decade, and moreover, was given different definitions and guises. Within this environment various interpretations of democracy emerged, which led to competing and diverse theories. As for the Republic of China, a deep-rooted and profound urgency rose in the mid-1980s that called for the country's political democratization. Given these sociopolitical changes, and due to a lack of researchers, the political science division decided to concentrate its research focus towards the following two areas in an effort to promote and draft a series of research projects.

(1)The Political Democratization of Taiwan

After the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China by Japan, Taiwan's established political government has been predicated on the Three Principles of the People and dedicated to promoting a political democracy. The road of experience and development over the last forty years is worth further study. The following research topics are among those pursued by the political science division:

  1. A study on the relationship between political democratization and social economic development in Taiwan
  2. A comparative study on Taiwan's political democratization and East Europe's political liberalization
  3. A comparative study between Taiwan' political culture and American and Japanese political cultures
  4. Taiwanese voting behavior and political party development
  5. A comparative study between the development of democracy in Taiwan and the European and American experience
  6. Transformations in the political system and electoral behavior: a study of voting behavior in the first Taiwan provincial governor elections
  7. Conflict and cooperation between political parties within the Taipei City Council: a special report on negotiation theory
  8. Military and political democratization: military and governmental relations in post-martial law Taiwan
  9. Political participation theory
  10. The relationship between the military and Taiwan's political transformation
  11. Are environmental rights property or life rights? A discussion on the evolution of Taiwan's environmental consciousness
  12. The ethical implications of environmental rights
  13. Justice: a concept within ethical environmentalism

(2)Chinese Military and Political Relations

Political scientists often say: "to have political science without history is like a tree without roots." Obviously, in order to predict the future, one must understand the present; and to understand the present, is to comprehend the past. Speaking from a non-Western political democratization point-of-view, a military-government relationship is a series of successes and failures. Therefore, it is worth closely tracing the origins of the two entities' relationship from a historical evolutionary perspective in order to analyze their interaction and interdependence. Research topics in this area include:

  1. The military-political relationship during the Spring/Autumn period
  2. The military-political relationship during the Warring States period
  3. The military-political relationship during the Han Dynasty (Qing Dynasty or Western Han)

(3)Organizational Planning

In the past, the political science division's primary research focus was centered on analyzing the relationship between technological advances, structural planning, and organizational achievement. In the last ten years or so, analysis of the relationship between structure and effect has gradually become of great interest, especially under the monumental influence of recent technological advances. The relationship between structure, effect, and technological advancement has introduced a brand-new research direction. This area study's goal is to address "technological determinism" and analyze the influence that technological development has on labor structures. Moreover, by using "formulaic determinism" one hopes to examine the relationship between structural planning and organizational achievement. Under this area of study, the main topics of research include:

  1. The influence of informational technology on organizational structures
  2. The relationship between organizational scale, informational technology, scope of control and organizational efficiency
  3. A tripartite division of power between formalism, standardization, and professionalism
  4. The relationship between organizational division, complexity, and integration
  5. On the structure of extra-bureaucratic systems

In the early years when political research was not highly prized within academic circles in Taiwan, and when there was a dearth of scholarly researchers, there nevertheless existed a strong sense of purpose and responsibility in ensuring the future development of political science research. Thus began a process of amassing political science intellectuals' scholarly work. Starting from the first five-year planning period, the research findings of the division's full-time researchers (a total of only four) published a total of 35 articles, which are listed in the chart below. Although the number of full-time researchers increased during the second five-year planning period, however, due to long-term research interests, several research fellows were encouraged to pursue scholarly work abroad. Therefore, the actual number of research fellows did not increase. More than 20 articles were published during this period, resulting in high quality, well-researched studies. Articles were published in international academic journals, and were widely referred to by local scholars in related fields. The third five-year planning period occurred just as the domestic political environment was entering a period of liberalization and democratization. Thus, the research conducted by political scientists was no longer perceived as "portentous," that is, useless. The political science division also experienced an infusion of "new blood" as the number of scholars grew to 11 full-time researchers. Its research output likewise increased such that from August 1991 to January 1996 a total of 80 articles and 3 books were published.

Aside from emphasizing individual research fellow's scholarly work in their areas of specialization, the division also promotes "collaborative" research between colleagues. These joint projects have generally led local political science scholars to conduct studies and organize large-scale academic conferences on the following topics including, "justice and its related issues," "democratic theory: classical and modern," "political groups," and "multiculturalism." Of the academic conferences organized, participation among Taiwan's scholars has numbered over one hundred at each one, in essence, capturing the bulk of the country's political scientists. After passing the political science division's publication standards, conference proceedings were likewise published following each symposium. Articles included in these conference publications have become the leading authority on issues relating to Taiwan's political science arena.

The organizing of conferences as well as publication of books and research articles by the political science division's research fellows has led Taiwan's political science community to regard the division as a strategically vital forum in terms of fostering political philosophy and thought, particularly in terms of producing scholarly work. Moreover, the division has published numerous works on political philosophy and political tought. These works are among the first since the publication of books by the late political scientist Professor Chou Wen-Hai some 20 years ago. It can be noted that the political science division is among the few research institutions in Taiwan that addresses topics such as political methodology, organizational theory, electoral voting behavior, and studies on military affairs in political sociology. Generally speaking, Taiwan's political science community has acknowledged the division's research contributions by frequently referring to, as well as applying its findings. Therefore, the division has earned the distinction of being Taiwan's primary political science research institute. It can thus be said that ISSP's political science division carries the responsibility and mission of constantly promoting further research within Taiwan's political science community. Moreover, it can also be noted that the division assumes a leading role in developing further study in the areas of political philosophy and thought in Taiwan.

Third Division (Political Science): Statistical Research Results

First five-year Planning Period
(August 1981 to July 1986)
  • Political participation: six articles
  • A study on systematic communicative functions: one article
  • Civil rights and political decision-making: 15 articles
  • Public opinion research: one article
  • Growth and adjustment in Taiwan's current administrative organizations: 12 articles
Second five-year Planning Period
(August 1986 to July 1991)

Within this period, the division published a total of 12 articles. These articles ranged from studying administrative attitudes, organizational planning, the methodology of politics, comparative political philosophy, as well as judicial theory. The division also continued to promote the use of theoretical and empirical analyses, which resulted in several interrelated general guidelines. Research findings in the fields of "organizational planning," "empirical studies in politics," and "comparative politics" were published in well-known international and domestic academic journals, and moreover, have been widely applied by local scholars.
Third five-year Planning Period
(August 1991 to January 1996)

During this period, the division published more than 80 articles as well as three books, among which included:

  • Political theory and thought: 26 experiments
  • Empirical political studies theory : 28 articles
  • Methodology of politics: 5 articles
  • Organizational Planning: 12 articles
  • Comparative politics: 3 articles
  • English political science publications: 9 articles, 3 books